The Burton Panthers (2-0) showed their heart and determination in the second half against Hearne. But they enter Week 3 of the season with renewed focus on their areas of improvement.
Burton looks for its first win over Schulenburg (1-1) since 2022 this week after an exhilarating comeback at Panther Stadium last week kept Burton out of the loss column.
Junior quarterback Kayden Patterson backed up preseason hype from himself and his teammates against Hearne with the best individual performance of his career. He ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to go with 80 yards and a touchdown through the air on six completions.
Patterson contributed Burton’s only touchdown of the first half with a six-yard run to the right side. He stood out in Burton’s 18-point comeback in the second half with key plays. He found wide receiver Eli Simank over the middle late in the third quarter for a 41-yard touchdown pass, highlighting his passing efforts.
Patterson then tied the game with a 12-yard run to the left side with 6:03 left. He found Braydon Martin on an out route to the right side for the game-winning two-point conversion.
Patterson sealed the game with several big runs in the final minutes, allowing Burton to eventually take three knees in the final two minutes to close proceedings.
Burton coach Jason Hodde gave his quarterback immense credit, but also said last week’s win was a team effort.
“I think we can not really single one guy out in the comeback effort,” he said.
Simank was notable not just for his touchdown catch, but also for a kickoff return for a score that sparked the rally. Hodde also was pleased with how his linemen blocked late in the game, including on special teams.
“Offensively, we finally started blocking people the right way,” he said. “I thought that makes our guys on the back end look good at times.”
While the second-half comeback left Burton with a taste of victory, the Panthers know their efforts early in the game were not good enough. Burton held on to a lead at halftime because of numerous Hearne penalties, but Hodde believes Burton’s tackling and pass protection were far from good enough early in the game.
Weaknesses in those areas, as well as a key fumble that was returned for a touchdown eventually cost the Panthers and put them down 25-7 prior to their comeback.
Hodde said those mistakes need to be cleaned up if Burton wants to beat Schulenburg. He said tackling issues extended beyond the defensive end and cost the Panthers on special teams, too.
“I think if you look back on defense, some of the big plays we did not tackle well,” he said. “If you look at the kick returns, all the big returns they got, including their touchdown, we did not tackle. We had guys in the spot to make plays and we did not get the guys tackled.”
Hodde believes a combination of technical and mental errors pushed Burton’s tackling mistakes last week.
He also believes Burton’s pass protection will improve, especially given how his linemen block for runs well. Even though Patterson is adept at running for big plays, Hodde does not want it to be a staple of the Panther offense.
“That is not a consistent way to play, having to run around and make plays with his legs so we have worked hard on that,” he said.
Schulenburg is coming off of a 36-29 loss to Class 3A Division II foe Rogers last week. It opened the season in Week 1 with a 42-0 win over private school Sacred Heart out of Hallettsville.
Burton will look to slow down Schulenburg running back DaTerrion Houston in the running game. Houston broke off multiple big runs against Rogers last week, including a 23-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 48-yard run down the sideline early in the second half. He totaled 132 yards against the Eagles.
Senior wide receiver Jayse Janda was a force in the passing game in addition to several tackles last week for Schulenburg.
Their abilities alongside junior quarterback Owen Brenek, who went 8-for-15 with 102 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions last week, will give the Panthers a stiff tackling test.
“Tackling was a little different (last) week because we had to tackle more in space,” Hodde said. “They were more of a spread offense. Schulenburg gives the same kind of problems. They got some good athletes. They run the spread, so we are going to have to break down and be real sound on our tackling.”
Schulenburg will look to apply pressure to Burton’s pass game with a pair of solid defensive ends, making pass protection improvements paramount to success.
Hodde said a win on Friday night would be great for the Panthers, but not vital in their final non-district game. Significant improvement, even in a loss, would satisfy Hodde with bigger goals of district and playoff success on the horizon.
“The goals in mind are to stay healthy, play clean and play with lots of effort, enthusiasm, play correctly,” he said. “If we win, that is great. If we do not, that is not all bad, either. We would still go into the district 2-1 and everything is out in front of us.”